HB2486 Cottage Food Expansion Bill - Signed into Law by Governor Rauner

[Wes King]

Good news! Today Governor Rauner singed into law HB2486 the Cottage Food Law Expansion Bill!

HB2486 which now becomes public act - 99-0191 makes the following changes:

• Expand where cottage food products can be sold to include on-farm, farm-stands and CSAs (no longer just farmers markets) for cottage food products where the signature or featured ingredient was produced on farm.
  
• Increases the gross receipt threshold of exempt food from $25,000 to $36,000
  
• Authorizes the IL Farmers Market Taskforce to develop an expanded list of allowed cottage food products
• Removes the previous explicit prohibition against rhubarb, tomato and pepper jams and jellies provided that they must be tested and documented as non-potentially hazardous jams and jellies with a pH equilibrium of less than 4.6 
• Allows for a cottage food operation to have employees, not longer limited to just family members
• Eliminates the requirement that those selling the cottage food products have a food sanitation manger certificate (now just the person preparing and packaging the products needs the certificate) 
• Exempts religious, charitable and non-profit bake sale fundraisers from the overall Food Handling Rrgulation Act 

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Wes King

Executive Director

Illinois Stewardship Alliance
"Local Food Matters"

217-528-1563

www.ilstewards.org

 
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